Before our 1982 Bedford HA Van goes live on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, Jonn has been inspecting it. He attended to the throttle not being connected. He found that the linkage was actually a mechanical one and had fallen off so Jonn reconnected it to the throttle pedal.
The workshop technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have been getting to the bottom of the hydraulic issues with the 1963 Morris LD.
Our technician Dave has been inspecting the entire hydraulic system in the 1963 Morris LD Van in with us for a list of jobs. The owner has stated an issue with the brakes binding/getting hot along with the clutch being entirely inoperable.
During the inspection, Dave found a lot of the hydraulic system to be quite heavily corroded. The brakes and the clutch system on the LD share the same hydraulic system but in this car, several pipes from the reservoir and the master cylinder were so corroded they had begun to leak.
On further inspection, the technicians believe the clutch and brakes are ok but have been removed to be inspected and refurbished if needed. Along with that, all of the hardware associated with the front drums brakes (including the shoes) have been removed to be inspected and refurbished if needed.
March 2, 2022 2:53 pm
A local couple from Southwold have recently bought their second van that they plan to turn into their own portable home as they get set to venture off around the world post-pandemic.
Abbie and Toby (@our.roaminghome) have been planning towards an off-grid lifestyle of travel in their own-build campervan, a classic 1984 Freight Rover Sherpa named Betty. They spent the first lockdown building Betty into a campervan from scratch and their plans haven’t stopped there.
Now completed, the pair are putting Betty up for sale after finding their dream van, a rare 2004 Mercedes Vario, named Vinnie, for which they plan to convert and travel in.
Toby told the Ipswich Star in a recent interview, “We never wanted sales jobs, but we have always wanted to travel and spend time on the roads.
“We love the idea of being independent and living off-grid, being amongst nature. There is so much more to life, and happiness is much more important than money.”
In their new van, they’re aiming to build a platform bed with storage space underneath, a kitchen, shower, compost toilet and a large seating area. Using the intuitive spatial design, Abby and Toby will be able to create a compact but cosy space to live in.
However they’re not just stopping at the basics, the couple is also planning on installing an instant boiler and log burner for those colder trips, a projector fitted in the ceiling, solar panels for on-the-go electricity and a wooden roof deck, perfect to take in their surroundings and watch the sunset.
Their long-term plan is to buy a food trailer to pull behind Vinnie, earning money as they go.
Here’s a few photos from Abbie and Toby’s Instagram page: @our.roaminghome where you can keep up to date with their restoration and travels.
February 3, 2021 8:55 am
This iconic modern classic has come in for some TLC. As a 1991 VW Transporter T4, this model is often used as a camper conversion, which is exactly what ours is. Using some innovative spatial design, this T4 makes the perfect portable camper whilst still being small enough to navigate those smaller roads. However, much like any well-loved classic, it needs some maintenance to its paintwork.
We’re aiming to correct the rust damage on the lower half as despite having been painted elsewhere recently, the corrosion has already returned. The wheel arch, sills and wings are also showing signs of rust, so it’s our job to correct this! We’ll be taking every measure to make sure the rust is kept away for years, not just 6 months. We’re going to be stripping the bodywork back, remove the rust and then paint the body in a dual-tone with white on top and grey covering the bottom half.
